Tuesday, October 30, 2012

RPDR All-Stars e2 • 29 October 2012

Last time on RPDRASe1 twelve prior contestants returned to compete for $100,000, a 'sickening' supply of Mac cosmetics and a one-of-a-kind trip courtesy of Al & Chuck.travel. The drag racers were shocked to learn they would compete as teams throughout the competition, and Pandora Boxx never warmed up to being paired with Mimi Imfurst. Both were eliminated while Team Latrila (Manila Luzon and Latrice Royale) won.

The girls enter the workroom: Raven states Mimi Imfurst never deserved to be here in the first place. Yara Sofia says that Pandora just gave up.

Ex-zaaaaactly

Jujubee interviews, "I love Pandora, but when you give up, you go home.

Ex-zaaaaactly

Um, alright, that's enough.

Escucha, uno ojo, tú eres el que empezó esto.

¿Por qué no te mudas a otro tema?

RuPaul introduces the week's challenge: It's a take-off on R&M's Laugh-In! First up is a mini-challenge, though, to test how in synch they are, or how well they know each other … and Rujubee is the winner. Um, okay.

Laugh-In!

Gaff-In!

Exactamente.

As comedy duos, they will be writing, performing and appearing as celebrity impersonators. So, this is in place of "Snatch Game?" I don't care, this should be good.

The main thing you need to know is … did anyone do a 'Lady Gaga" … meaning, did anyone pick someone who is all look, and no sound or personality? Why, yes, I'm looking at you, Alexis Mateo. You are SO lucky.

Estoy tan caliente e insultado.

It's easy to sum up this week's episode: Each team had one member do great, and one do poorly. However, slight nuances helped to land someone in the top or the bottom. I'd like to say, let's see how they did. The trouble is, they didn't really show us every duo doing every single portion, so we don't quite know how Rujubee did on the Dance Party portion (think the Cocktail Party from Laugh-In or even The Muppet Show) or how Brown Flowers did on Howdy Ru. Plus, on the wall of many doors, we saw the good work of some, and the bloopers of others. I'll point out what I could make out.

As in, this is Carlos Cassonova transitioning into 1987 George Michael.After a bender.

Oh no you didn't!

Yarlexis

ALEXIS MATEO and YARA SOFIA

Latrila

LATRICE ROYALE and MANILA LUZON

Shad

SHANNEL and CHAD MICHAELS

Rujubee

RAVEN and JUJUBEE

Brown Flowers

TAMMIE BROWN and NINA FLOWERS

The judges don't really trash anyone's runway look, which is good. At this point, they all should be doing A+ work there, right? Team Yarlexis is commended for good writing, which we didn't see, since we mostly just saw their bloopers. Yara Sofia's "Charo" is praised, while Alexis Matteo's "Shakira" is poor. They don't pick on her look, though. Per Michelle Visage, Manila Luzon's "Madonna" was wonderful while Latrice Royale's "Oprah" wasn't fully realized. The judges loved Jujubee's "Fran Drescher" but not Raven's "Bea Arthur," although Michelle Visage gave a pass on the visual. "Bette Davis" done by Chad Michaels was a hit, but "Lucille Ball" by Shannel was a miss for most, although a hit for guest judge Vicki Lawrence. For Team Brown Flowers they didn't necessarily pick on Nina Flowers for doing "La Lupe" poorly, but Michelle Visage thought the celebrity was too obscure for Nina to do. Tammie Brown's version of Tammie Faye Messner (formerly Bakker) looked fine, but she didn't have any of the mannerisms, ubiquitous smile, or words ... NONE. At this point it's obvious who is going home, but still not obvious who is winning. At least Nina is doing her best and not having a pity-party like Pandora did last week.

I can't believe that she did that!

It's so unprofessional!You'll never catch ME being ungrateful.

So, RuPaul names Yara Sofia the winner, so Team Yarlexis wins some jewelry from Fierce Drag Jewels. Ru doesn't repeat it like she usual does (like when she keeps saying, "That's Boobs For Queens Dot Com !!!") Team Brown Flowers is on the bottom, mais oui. How do the rest place? Team Shad is safe. Team Rujubee is given a stern talking to, but is safe, and Team Latrila is in the bottom.

It's decided that Latrice Royale and Tammie Brown will be lip-synching. Wow, this just got interesting! Tammie BLEW her lip synch in season one, so anything she does will be better than what she did in her original season. In a sense, she almost gets to save face, even if she goes home now. Latrice did GREAT in season four when she was in the bottom, especially when it was Gladys Knight, remember? Hmmmm ... Ethel Merman's "There's No Business Like Show Business?" Hey — will they use the 1954 version or the disco version from 1979? Drag! Hello! Go disco! But, no, they use the original. That puts it in Tammie's favor, n'est-ce pas?

No fear, Latrice is back. She seems to approach lip synch more correctly and accurately than most. She just tries to be true to the singer / act who recorded it. She matches the song. When Tammie interviewed that she was channeling Tina Turner meets Tammie, I laughed out loud. This was a no brainer. Thank GOD Manila is still around. Oh, you, too, Latrice!

So, Nina Flowers, you will always be number one in our hearts. We are proud that you were professional and kind to your teammate. Tammie, I don't understand you, but I'm glad you were here for a while.

Who will go home next? I'm had been thinking Yarlexis would leave soon, but, really, anything is possible when one team member does well and one does poorly. Now that they have a win, maybe it's almost an even playing field? Nah, it all depends upon the challenges. I do want to see more from Manila and Chad, most definitely. Well, and Nina, too, but that isn't going to happen, eh?

Maybe Michelle Visage can be eliminated

for picking on Manila Luzon's eye deformity?

Or for dressing too much like a drag queen?

It could happen! Well, no, she's there to make Ru appear more tasteful, huh?Not required, Ru, you even out class the First Lady.

On Untucked we learned that Chad and his father aren't the closest, and it was a bit emotional for Yara Sofia. I guess we don't all have perfect relationships with our fathers when we let them know we're queer.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

PRAS s2e1 should be s3e1 • Redemption On The Runway • 25 October 2012

It's like PR never ended, huh? Was it just like you thought it was going to be? Yeah, I was hoping against hope that the villains would go first, but when they started CELEBRATING the arrival of Wendy Pepper, and auffing the nice lady, I knew it was not to be.

First, I have to address a few elephants in the room.

Yes, you can use the loo.

I want there to be a TV show called "Andrae Enters" where all it is is him entering and exiting doorways, especially revolving doors. Wait, could we just have 24/7 coverage, like CSPAN? Please.

Does anyone else think of the Oscar winning 1989 short "Balance" whenever they see Andrae? I do. He's not a dead ringer for it, but I can not unsee it.

Lastly, Peach Carr sent my dying mother a very nice birthday letter last year, and it meant the world to both of us. So, of course, I'm rooting for PC all the way. I want Andre to be in ALL of the episodes, so I can see him coming & going, but I want Peach to win.

Is this realistic? Of course not. Do I even think this way all the time? No. My real favorites are Uli, Kayne, Althea, and the s9 couple Anthony Ryan and Laura Kathleen. Mostly, I just want them all to have enough time to do well, and for the villains to get their comeuppance. Oh, and Wendy cannot be eliminated immediately, she needs to stick around so we can see whether or not she has grown. I am talking about behavior. How would you have conducted yourself if you had been her? Okay, nobody on the planet is like her, but, you get my drift. There's always someone who has learned how to behave on an all-stars show, and I wonder if Ms. Pepper will be the one. Don't you worry, I'm not holding my breath, I'm just curious.

Oh, and I'm wondering if Emilio Thotha will be nicer to Joanna Coles than he was to Tim Gunn. If he is repentant, I might feel guilty enough about making fun of him to spell his name correctly. Oh, wait, what's that? Joanna Coles has gone on record as stating that the designer she was most interested in seeing again was Emilio? ARGH! I fear his head may not fit through any doors. So, Andre has to enter first. ALWAYS.

Lastly, just a comment. The promos were VERY misleading. Suede refrained from talking about himself in the third person in them, so I thought perhaps that HE had grown as a person, and I was going to root for him to not be the first to be eliminated. Nope, he just must have been having an off day. He's still annoying, but with worse hair and attire. Go home first! Go home first! Wait, AFTER the villains. Go home fifth! Go home fifth!

The 13 PR returnees meet Joanna Coles on some NYC rooftop to find out that they will be separated into two teams. Joanna picked Kayne and Joshua from the button bag, but they are not team leaders, they just happen to be picking first.

They get 30 minutes to consult over a board that has a list of attitudes, from which they are to choose one, or they can choose one of their own. They will get $250 each. The looks must be cohesive. The winner will be from the winning team. The eliminated person will be from the losing team.

How the hell would you design for "accepting?"

Team JPLKEAS becomes Team Bold. Team KUCIAARW becomes Team Confident. 30 minutes and $250 each person at Mood, no Swatch, and we're back in the work room. Wait, there was NO running up and down the stairs. Did the designers get wise and stick to the first floor or did the cameramen just get lazy?

The Joanna-thru is a little too quick but we get to hear her call Joshua's look scary, she makes Andrae cry (well, not quite) and suggests to Emilio that he might have the winning look IF he were on the winning team. Ha! Blow up that ego, Ms. Coles.

I think you jutht might be the betht dethigner in the world.

Then we get to hear tough lady Joanna Coles utter to Ms. Higa the delicious, "I'm a little terrified to meet you because I remember you being such a bitch on your season." Ivy beams, "I was! I can't blame you, I was a total asshole." Wait a minute, was she PROUD of her behavior? Geez, not only am I not getting that the villains might regret their actions and grow up, they're even WORSE? Wow, this IS Lifetime, huh? Ivy states that life was hard, so that it was alright, and good that she was a bitch. Or, something like that. Ah, because life is perfect for everyone else, and it's easy to do the right thing at all times. Gotcha. I love how Joanna and Cassanova are speaking, and within 30 seconds hooker and slutty are mentioned. No old lady or grandma yet, but maybe they will say that in the next episode?

Something amazing soon thereafter happened. I was not expecting this. We now have a name for someone, don't we?

Finallement.

Okay, now I can face the results, now that I have a name I mean, that IS mustache man / bicep man, isn't it?

TEAM BOLDEmilio Sosa

Peach Carr

Andrae Gonzalo

Stephen "Suede" Baum

Laura Kathleen Planck

Joshua McKinley

TEAM CONFIDENT

Ivy Higa

Althea Harper

Carlos Cassanova

Anthony Ryan Auld

Wendy Pepper

Johnathan Kayne Gillaspie

Ulrike "Uli" Herzner

Carolyn Murphy states that the winning team is Team Confident. Then she calls out Anthony Ryan, Ivy and Cassanova, Suede, Peach and Andrae. There's no confusion, they all know if they are top 3 or bottom 3. Laura Kathleen is singled out as having the highest score, but since she was on the losing team, she wasn't eligible to win.

I didn't have to work with Bert, so I already won.

The judges raved about the top 3, but each had criticism as well. As for the bottom dwellers, Suede had too many conflicting ideas. Gee, that's awfully kind. They ripped on Peach for her confidence and her construction. Andrae's "slightly muffled" idea was a bit much for the judges. Georgina Chapman already is concerned Andrae can't answer a simple question. Ha! Andrae is still the same.

When they are brought out Anthony Ryan wins and Peach Carr is sent home sequestered in the hotel for the remainder of the competition. I'm so sorry, Peach. I will always be grateful that you wrote to my mother in her last months and cheered her up. We both love you and root for you.